Greetings again. I have been busy with the holidays, which went very well. Of course the kiddo's made out like bandits. Only, I did not have enough to really make ends meet. I could have merely made do, which sometimes we must all do. I asked for help. This has been a rough year for my kids because of legal issues between mom and me. I prayed for help, and asked the property manager if she knew of any food pantries in the area. She told me about a couple programs she knew of, and I got on the computer and looked them up. I got the numbers, called them, and got signed up. These programs are designed for people who need a little extra help to make it through. 

First, I had to go to the food pantry office, with my bills, social security cards for everyone in the household, drivers (or state ID) license, and all our receipts for the last month. They recorded the amounts I earned and spent, and then created a budget sheet (you can do this on your own to help finances straighten out, more on that later.). 

I asked them about the programs I had heard of, and they had me sign up for them. One was provided by a local church, and they sponsor a certain number of families each Christmas, and their members purchase gifts for them. The other one, from another local church was a gift lottery for families whose income is below poverty level. (go to this website to find out poverty levels: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/threshld/thresh07.html )

(We ended up getting, maybe, $125 in gift cards, clothes for everybody, toys for everybody, and books. The amount of gift allowed us to save our money for specific gifts, or bills or food or anything else that we needed.)

The food pantry then sent us next door with a ticket to receive a donation of food. They sent us on our way with bread, milk, chicken, ground beef, vegetables, soups, noodles, rice, peanut butter, jelly, snacks, fruit, and other goodies to last the month. 

There is hope for us when we humble ourselves and ask for help. Some need to wait until it is too late, and everything crumbles around them before asking for help. Some know just when and who to ask for help. Some ask for help when they really don't need it. I say turn an obstacle into an opportunity. Share a part of yourself when asking for help. Make a fair trade. Barter... Do something for your neighbors. Let that good deed laid upon you snowball into something wonderful for everyone in your life.

I am able to go back once a month to the pantry to receive food. They have other programs and job opportunities posted on their walls in the lobby, and they are usually very knowledgeable about ways to receive other realms of help. This is a first step to take when searching for help on the holidays. 

A word of advice, start looking for help at least three months before the holidays. If you have a birthday coming up, again, ask for help early. There are people out there helping with many different things, so ask around, and build yourself a "Help Sheet" for the people, churches, and businesses in your specific area. Write down name of service, number, address, person to talk to, and type of help offered. This will make it easier for you to keep track.

Feel free to comment if you have other suggestions, or questions. I will take the time to answer as many questions as I can. If I have not answered your question yet, I will get to it as I can. Keep checking to see if I have gotten to it yet.